Melody's Next Christmas

by George H. McVey

  The smell of horse, leather and the outdoors along with something deep and all Tallis. It was a smell that made her blood burn within her, his words from earlier had lit a hope within her that didn’t want to die. The Ryder family, at least Nugget Nate whom she had meet once, was known for making miracles happen. She didn’t know who this Nathan Ryder was that he’d mentioned but she assumed he was a descendant of Nate’s as well who had done impossible things. Was it possible that the dream she’d had before meeting Tallis, of him as the love of her life and children that looked like him, was a glimpse of her actual future? She didn’t know, but what she did know was that every time he said he wanted her to be his, every time he hinted at wanting to court her or marry her, she felt something no other man had ever made her feel. His words fluttered around in her stomach even now when she just thought about them. She took a chance and breathed a little prayer that Tallis was right and when Reverend Johnson returned she would indeed become a Ryder in name and truth.

  Her thoughts were brought to a stop when Tallis turned off the machine they were riding and helped her off the back of the thing. In front of them was the biggest building that Melody had ever seen and the area in front of the building was filled with those cars and trucks. “Where is this place?”

  Tallis laughed. “This is the super center. It’s kind of like a dry goods and mercantile all rolled into one huge store. We’re meeting Sara here and she is going to help you get some of those clothes and things you told her you didn’t have. While your 1800s attire is great for when we have guests, you need modern clothes for work and other times. So she asked me to bring you here so she could help you get what you need. I needed a few things too, so, I thought why not? We can go out after this and Sara can take our things back to the ranch for us.”

  Melody bit her lip. “I don’t need these things, Tallis, I can’t afford them.”

  “Consider them part of your contract, Melody. Or better yet, consider them courting gifts. I take care of the people that are mine and you need to understand that you are mine.”

  She shook her head. “It’s too much for a courting gift and very inappropriate. Some candy or a ribbon for my hair maybe, but not my clothing or more personal items. Those are something for a husband or father to provide, not a suitor.”

  Tallis grinned and tilted her head up to look him in the eyes. She was instantly caught in the fire she saw in them. “That’s just fine by me, Melody Hughes, if you want to see them as gifts from your husband. Because in six months or less you will agree to become my wife.”

  She blushed and bit her lip “You must stop saying that, Mr. Ryder. I told you it’s impossible.”

  He shocked her by leaning down and kissing her forehead. “I excel at doing the impossible, Melody, and nothing will stop me from winning your love; not a contract, not the Reverend, not even time itself. You will be my wife and we will have that forever kind of love that people dream of; even if I have to move heaven and earth to make it happen.”

  Melody wanted to tell him he didn’t know what he was up against but, looking into his eyes and seeing the fire of determination burning in them, she wasn’t sure that he wouldn’t create the miracle that it would take for them to belong to one another, right out of the thin air. She sent up a silent prayer that for once she was wrong and this wonderfully handsome man could do what he claimed.

  Tallis watched with amusement as his little sister, Sara Marie, introduced Melody to the joys of retail shopping. He could see the joy in his sister’s face as she played dress-up with a real live person, and while typically he shopped like most men and went and got what he needed and got out, he was enjoying the fashion show that his sister was making Melody give him. Seeing her in dresses and tight jeans was definitely becoming one of his favorite things so far about this day. The new jeans and boxer briefs he’d needed to buy and a few essential tools that needed to be replaced on the ranch were already in his cart that was quickly filling with ladies wear.

  They were in the shoe department now and he was laughing as Sara tried over and over again to get Melody to try on a pair of heels, that if he was honest, Tallis would love to see her in. Melody, on the other hand, was beyond shocked that any woman would allow her legs and shoes to show to any man. She was more comfortable with closed toed flats and western cut boots. She had also been surprised by the number of colors in clothing and shoes that she had to choose from. He’d heard the discussion that she and Sara had had about lingerie and he had wondered what his sister had shown the woman that had scandalized her so much.

  He’d had to walk away when Melody had too loudly asked Sara why her unmentionables needed to be so colorful and nonexistent when no one would ever see them. His sister’s response had shocked Melody so much that he’d walked off to keep from laughing out loud. “Oh Melody, you wear them because you know you’re wearing them and you hope someday you’ll find the man you want to see you in them.”

  “Sara! I can’t believe you’d say such a wanton thing or even think it.”

  When they were done and everything was paid for and loaded into the truck for Sara to return home he was thrilled in the thought of getting Melody on his bike again. Because then she would wrap her arms around him and sit so close he could feel her warmth soaking into his back. “So big brother, where are you two headed next?”

  Sara’s eyes let him know that she was more curious that he make a good impression on Melody than just being nosey. He couldn’t deny telling her because he could tell by the way she was acting that Sara’s own Calling was acting up. Since she’d inherited their grandmother’s version of the Calling and seemed to be the perfect matchmaker, he knew if his plans didn’t fit she’d let him know. “Mama Fazio is holding a table for us and then I thought maybe the Giddy Up for some dancing.”

  “Fazio’s is a great choice.” Sara hesitated. “Are you sure about the Giddy Up? It’s a Saturday night and it will be unlike anything she’s experienced, Tall.”

  Tallis thought about it, and while she would be in for a bit of a culture shock, the thought of being able to hold her in his arms and two-stepping was something he didn’t want the night to end without. Plus, maybe seeing some of the more attention-getting attire some of those in the club would have on would show her how perfectly acceptable the items his sister had helped her buy were. “I think it’s safer to take her to Giddy Up than it would be for me to take her back to the ranch and dance with her in the front room. At least at the Giddy Up we’ll be in public.”

  Sara shook her head with a smile on her face. “I can see you already know what my Calling is saying.”

  He looked into his sister’s face and in all seriousness said. “You’re just now figuring that out. I knew the moment we met she was it for me, Sara Marie.”

  “Well okay then. Let’s just hope she doesn’t fight too long.”

  “She knows it too, she’s just afraid that the Reverend’s contract will be a problem.”

  Sara stilled and even Tallis could feel the danger that resonated through his statement. “I know it’s important and Dad is coming back to talk about it soon, according to Nate. But we’re Ryders and we’ll work it out amongst us.”

  “Just be careful, Tallis, something’s wrong and we all can feel it. I’m not sure this will be as easy as you think.”

  Tallis nodded before taking Melody by the hand and heading back to his bike. “I know Sara, I feel it too, but I’ll do whatever it takes.”

  “What are you and Sara talking about?”

  Tallis smiled. “She wanted to know where I was taking you tonight. She’s taking her job as your friend and our chaperone seriously.”

  “Should she be coming with us then?”

  He smiled at her before asking, “Are you worried about being alone with me, Melody?”

  “I’m worried about my reputation, Mr. Ryder, even if you aren’t.”

  His smile faded as he remembered that to her this wasn’t a joking matter. The way she was raised made he
r concerns real. “Melody, we are going to be at a public restaurant and then at a place with several other couples and several individuals all looking to dance and have fun. I promise you that nowhere I take you tonight will affect your standing in our community or damage your reputation here. Please trust that I would do nothing to hurt you in any way.”

  She nodded. “I’m sorry, I know that you won’t. It is just so hard to remember that the way I grew up is considered old fashioned and not normal. I don’t mean to sound like I think you are a rake or someone who means to take advantage of me. I know you aren’t.”

  Tallis so wanted to pull her close and kiss her senseless but he knew if he gave in he’d lose all the trust he had with her. As much as she needed to be open to the fact that what she’d grown up in wasn’t the normal for here, he needed to remember she’d grown up in a community that made much about a simpler time and lived up to the morals and constraints of that time. So he slipped onto the bike and held out his hand to help her on behind him. “Let us go enjoy a quiet meal together and then I’ll take you to a fun place to dance and try some of our newfangled ideas.”

  She smiled and took his hand, blushing as she did. Tallis waited until she scooted up against him and wrapped her arms around him before he started the engine and tore off down the road to Fazio’s and what he was sure would be a new experience for her; simple Italian fare.

  Chapter 9

  A s they flew down the road Melody wondered about the things she’d already seen and learned since arriving in this time. Was it even realistic that she could return to 1870 after all this and live under the rules and restrictions of that time after experiencing the freedoms of this time? While still uncomfortable with the way women’s clothing had changed and thinking that some of the items that Sara had chosen for herself were a little too revealing, she did marvel at the freedom of movement that these new underclothing gave her. And while she’d complained about it, she loved the soft and silky feel and bright colors of the things she’d bought to wear. She didn’t want to think about slipping back into her time and all the extra layers she’d have to wear to be properly clothed and to give up the freedom of working alongside a man, or even more, telling a group of them what to do seemed almost torturous in comparison.

  Melody was pulled from her thoughts as Tallis maneuvered his motorcycle into another of those places everyone seemed to leave their vehicles while entering a shop or building. Before them sat a red brick building with big glass windows in front and a sort of tent overhang on the side with tables and chairs under it. It sat beside a lake that had one of the beautiful rolling hills of western Montana behind it.

  Once again Tallis stepped off the machine and helped her dismount. She knew that he realized she didn’t need help but it was a proper and acceptable way for them to be close to each other. She had already seen that closer physical contact was acceptable between men and women and she was grateful that he’d realized that for her it would have been uncomfortable. She had seen several men and women with their hands clasped together as they walked and she’d taken his as they headed toward the glass front of the building. He looked at their clasped hands and then at her and smiled. Her heart raced every time he looked at her. He was so handsome and his acceptance of her just as she was had her saying yet another prayer that she could not only accept his suit, but accept any proposal of marriage when or if he finally made it. She knew that in the deepest most secret part of her she already had accepted what he’d told her twice that day; she was his heart and soul if not yet in name and body, and she wanted to be fully his, even if it was only for a few months.

  They entered the front of the building and delicious smells overpowered her senses and brought her back to the present. “Oh my, what is that wonderful smell?”

  Tallis laughed at the tone of her voice. “That, my precious Melody, is the smell of Mama Fazio’s secret recipe tomato gravy.”

  A very round, short woman with black hair streaked with silver and olive colored skin approached them with a big smile on her face. “You give away my secrets again Signori Ryder?”

  His smile widened even more and caused Melody’s breath to catch in her lungs. “How could I, Mama Fazio, when you won’t give me the secret recipe?”

  The older woman shook her finger at him. “If I give you the recipe, how would I get you to come back?”

  He leaned down and placed a quick kiss on her cheek. “I would always come back just to speak to as lovely a lady as yourself, Mama.”

  The woman laughed. “You, Signori Ryder, are full of the hot air. I know better, especially when you come to see Mama with such a Bella Donna on your arm.” The woman turned to look at Melody. “You, Bella, must be very special to our young man. Never has he brought a Bella Donna to our place. Only his sorella del bambino.”

  Melody looked at Tallis, confused. “She means Sara. My baby sister.”

  “This is not a place you take all the women you court?”

  “All the women,” The older lady said, “Sengori Ryder has never brought anyone who is not his family to my place. He says it is a special place just for him. I tell him every time I not stay in business that way.”

  Melody looked at Tallis to see the truth of this woman’s words and realized that for once he was the one blushing.

  “You haven’t brought any other suitors to this place?”

  “Melody, as Mama Fazio told you, this place is special to me. I’ve never had a special woman I wanted to share this place with before now. I told you that you are mine and soon you’ll understand that I mean it. I want to share every part of my life with you, including this place.”

  As Melody blushed, Mama Fazio clapped. “Meraviglioso, now you follow me, I have just the table for a young couple to find amore and I bring you Mama’s special meal for cena romantica.”

  She led them to a table in the corner looking out over the lake but still indoors. As they sat Tallis asked her to bring them both glasses of sweet tea and she nodded before leaving them. “What did she say about us and food?”

  Tallis laughed at Melody’s question. “She said she had a table to help a young couple fall in love and that she would bring us a special meal that would bring romance.”

  “Oh!”

  As they sat and talked Tallis told her about his life and growing up in New Mexico, deciding early that he wanted to open a ranch that showed people how his ancestors had lived in the old west. And he’d attended college up the road at the University of Montana and with a portion of his trust fund from the Ryder fortune he’d helped the Fazio’s reopen their restaurant after a fire, while in school, and that because of that Mama Fazio always kept a table open for him as thanks. He asked questions about her life and she was more open than she probably should have been with her answers but she made certain not to mention that Reverend Johnson had actually brought her from 1870 into the present. She talked about her community as if it was a closed off place where outsiders weren’t welcome or encouraged, which was in a way true. He’d never find her family’s ranch or town no matter how hard he looked.

  They were so caught up in learning about each other that they were surprised when Mama approached their table again. “I bring you good things, my bambinos. For the Bella Donna, Chicken Cacciatore and enough to share a bit with your bei signori.” She winked at Melody before setting a white sauced dish before Tallis. “And for Sengori, Shrimp Alfredo on linguini, again enough to share with the Bella Donna. Not that Spaghetti Bolognese. Blech, there will be no baci accidentali in my restaurant, all baci must be apposta for amore to bloom.”

  Again Melody looked to Tallis to translate for her. He sighed. “She said there would be no accidental kisses in her restaurant, that all kisses must be on purpose for love to bloom.”

  Melody’s cheeks burned bright with the heat of her blush. “Surely she doesn’t think I’m the type of woman to allow you to kiss me in a public restaurant, Tallis.”

  He laughed as he began to fork his food tow
ard his mouth. “Melody, a kiss between a couple in public is not considered scandalous. There are times I think you actually lived in the 1800s instead of in a closed community.”

  Melody stilled as fear shot through her. Had she finally slipped and broken the rules by accident. If she had, how much trouble would that cause?

  Tallis’ Calling kicked into gear as the words slipped out of his mouth. He’d just said something important. The look on Melody’s face was one of fear. She’d been blushing so sweet and pretty just moments ago and now she looked like she’d seen a ghost as all color slipped from her face. How could a simple jest about being from the past create such abject fear? Then something slammed into his thoughts. Something Nate had said about Reverend Johnson. Something about how both Penny and Grace’s journals had talked about a Reverend Johnson who fit the description of the man to a T. Was it possible? Could the reason that Melody thought her contract would take a miracle to get out of was because it would? Had Reverend Johnson somehow brought him a woman from the 1800s to be his expert? A woman whose circumstances had led to her being rejected after her father’s death? He felt the buzz of his Calling and knew he was right. The woman he loved, that he wanted to marry was from the past.

  Something else came to his mind and stopped him from outright asking her if he was right. Something that the Reverend had said, something directed at Melody about not breaking the rules of her contract. What if the reason she was so afraid was that telling him, or anyone for that matter, that she was from the past would break her contract. Again his Calling jolted him. It would! He needed to let her know without letting her break Johnson’s rules. He reached across and caressed her face with the back of his hand. “I’m not going to ask, Melody. I’ll just say all your secrets are safe with me and I will find a way to marry you and keep you by my side forever.”